Fish fillet skinning machine and method



.sepan 1940. l H BAAD'ER Em.' I 2,215,114

FISH FILLET SKINNING MACHINE AND METHOD Filed'may S, 19.38 v 5sheets-Sheet 1 WMM).

R. BAADr-:R ET AL FISH FILLET SKINNING MACHINE AND METHOD n sept., 17,1940.

Filed May 5, 195s 5 Sheets-#Sheet 2 e ys.

Sept. 17, 1940. R. BAADE'R Er AL FISH FILLET SKINNING MACHINE AND METHODFiled May 5, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 we @am A mii wder 57' v 17, 1940. IR. BAADR Erm. l 2,-215114 FISH FILLET SKINNING MACHINE AND METHOD FiledMay 5, 1958 '5 sheets-sheet 4 l Jil/@ws ma Em ML fzdnC/mb/z'c/z@@a/7.72m Attorneys Sept. 17, 1940.` R. BAADER Erm.

` FISH FILLET SKINNING MACHINE AND METHOD ss'hets-sneet 5 *Filed May 5,1938 IINV ENT OR. f aadaz Patented Sept. `17, 1940 FISH FILLET SG MAMETHOD Rudolf Baader and Karl Friedrich Schlich,

- Lubeck, Germany 'Application May 5, 1938, Serial No. 236,253 InGermany .iuly 14, 1937 13 Claims.

- This invention relates to methods of and machines for Skinning fishfillets. Hitherto in skinning fish fillets mechanically it has beennecessary either to clamp the fillet firmly or to freeze it so as toenable it to resist the pressure of the l sklnning tool. In neither caseis it possible for l fish fillets, whether they have been formed in afllleting machine or by hand, simply to be placed on a conveyor freelyand in a non-rigid state and then skinned mechanically.

An important object of the invention is to provide a machine in which afish -llet may simply be placed on a conveyor and thereafter beautomatically skinned mechanically. Other objects of the inventioninclude the provision of a skinning mechanism by which a uniform pull isexerted over the whole width of the skin during Skinning, the provisionof a machine which will cleanly remove the skin from the iillet withoutsimultaneously removing any of the eshand the provision of means bywhich the fillet itself clutches a Skinning knife into s kinningengagement with the llet.

Our invention'will best be Aunderstood by the lfollowing description ofthe preferred machine constructed in accordance with it, when taken inconjunction with the annexed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken longitudinally of the machineparticularly on the line I-I of Figure 3 showing the iish and skin beingremoved;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken longitudinally of the machine onthesame line as Figure 1. Figure 2 discloses the knife and associatedparts in operating position to engage a fillet for separating theeshfrom the' skin, whereas Figure 1 discloses the' parts in adjustedposition wherein the knife edge is remote from llet-engaging position;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a machine constructl ed in accordance withthe present invention and without the fish 'and skin. This figure isdrawn to a different scale than Figures 1 and 2; 4

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of Figure 3and showing the lleting knife and cooperating drum, the overlyingportions having been removed to more clearly bring out the constructionof the `knife controlling parts:

Figure `5 is a view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 3 and shows indetail the knife supporting and actuating parts,l the adjacent partshaving been removed to more clearly illustrate the invention, and thegear 29 being shown broken away in order to disclose the adjacentsupporting` drum structure; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken through the machine on the line ofFigure 3 and showing the position of the parts at the time'the knifeedgeis in position engaging a fillet for sep-. arating the flesh fromthe skin.

The machine is supported by a frame cornprising vertical and horizontalgirders 2 with a propecting end bracket i. An endless band conveyor 5runs over rollers d, one at each end of the machine, only the left-handroller being shown in the drawings. Fish fillets F are placed by handwith the skin S downwards on the conveyor 5 and are carried by thisconveyor to the mechanism shown in the drawings. Asthe conveyor passesover the end roller i the leading end of the fillet tips. downwards onto arotary support roller 6 which is 'carried by a shaft I0 and whichrotates in the direction of the arrow P1, and the fillet is guided on tothis roller by a supplementary grooved roller 3|.

A Skinning knife I6 normally lies in an inoperative position, seeFigures 1, 3, 4 and 5, and the arrival of a fillet is used to move thisknife into a position in which it removes the skin fromv the fillet. Tothis end, the knife is clutched into engagement with the fillet by aclutch which is completed by the fillet itself and which acts also as aclamp to hold the moving iillet during the Skinning operation. A groovedroller l, which rotates in the direction of the arrow P2 and the sameperipheral speed as the roller 6, forms part of this clutch. There is' asmall gap between the rollers 6 and i and the advancing end of the lletenters this gap. The roller i is carried by a shaft i2, which issurrounded Vby two sliding blocks 3, one at each end of the roller,which can slide in rocking arms 9 and which are fixed in position inthesearms by set screws 38. The two rocking arms 9 are mounted to rockabout the shaft I0, and each has a rearward extension 9' which issubjected to the action of a spring I I. When the end of the fillet iscaught between the rollers 6 and 1 pressure is set up and the filletclutches these two rollers together. In consequence the roller l moveswith the roller 6, i. e., the rollex 'l and the arms 9 rock bodily aboutthe shaft il) against springs il, and asthe centre of rotation of theroller l is the same as that of the roller B, the latter movesepicentrically around the roller l.

The shaft l2 also carries two blocks I3, each of which can slide ina-fork M. The forks I4 areA fixed to a discontinuous shaft l5 whichvcarries the knife I6. Accordingly, when the rocking roller 1 and itsshaft I2 rock, the forks I4 also rock and thus the shaft I5 and. knifeI6 are rocked. The knife I6 thereupon engages the llet and in fact cutsthrough the flesh until it bears against the inside of the skin, theoutside of which is in contact with the roller 6, as shown in Figure 2.An adjustable stop I1 is provided to limit the downward rocking of therocking roller 1 and thus to control the width of the space between Itheedge of the knife I6 and the surface of the support roller 8. When theroller 'I has rocked downwards and the knife has moved inwards, therollers 5 and 1 continue to rotate, and they draw the skin between themso that the llet as a whole is pulled past the knife. The knife stops,however, so that the skin is removedfrom the lletlby a scraping action.f The esh passes over the top surface of the knife substantially in thedirection of the arrow P4 illustrated in Figures 2' and 6, while theskin p'asses on the other side of the knife edge and nally is deliveredthrough an opening I8 into any suitable receptacle placed beneath therollers 6 and 1. .It will be understood that a suitable receptacle maybe situated below the left hand longitudinal margin of the knife castingto receive the skinned pieces of iiesh as they are discharged over themargin of the knife as represented more or less diagrammatically by thearrow P4 above. When the skin has passed the rollers, the roller 1 isreturned to its initial position by the springsJ I.

It will be understood that the only part of the llet proper that passesthrough the gap between the rollers 6 and 'I is that which first arrivesat the gap and causes the rocking roller 1 and knife' I6 to rock. As thegap should be so narrow that by the two rollers, so that lthe pressurebetween them is maintained, it may be diiiicult for ythe rst part of thefillet it pass through the gap. The blocks 8 which carry the rolle'r 1may therefore be arranged to slide against the action of springs ifdesired, so that the roller 1 can move back slightly when the lletfirst. enters the gap.

The drive for all the moving parts is transmitted to a shaft 20 througha pulley I9, which is driven by a driving belt I9'. The shaft 2B drivesthe conveyor 5 through gear wheels 2I and 22. It also drives the supportroller B through gear wheels 28 and 29, and the rocking roller 1 is inturn driven from the gear wheel 29 through a gear wheel 30. Thesupplementary roller 3I that lies in the bight, as clearly shown inFigure 1, between the support roller 1 and the conveyor is driventhrough gear wheels 32, and 33 from the shaft 20.

of the knife. Below the support roller 3 there is a stripper 35 whichserves to remove the skin from the roller. A further stripper 36 isarranged below the rocking roller 1 and is formed with teeth whichengage in the grooves 31 of the rocking roller. 'I'he stripper 36 iscarried by the rocking arms 3 and thus moves with the rocking roller.

The machine described serves to remove skins from iillets so cleanly andwith'such accuracy that no skin is left on the esh and no esh is takenaway with the skin. In consequence the skins can be used for theproduction of leather. It will be observed that the rollers 6 Aand 1 arewider than the fillets so that they exert a.`uni Yform pull over thewhole width of the skin. This is an important feature, as the failurevof prior skinning mechanisms is thought to be caused at least in partby the fact that they only engage the central part of the skin, leavingthe side aps without adequate tension. A

We claim: l 1. In the process of skinning fish illlets,`the steps ofgrasping the skin, moving the fillet in a predetermined path, and movinge'. remotely positioned skinning knife into engagement with the iille tosever the skin therefrom. 2. In a machine for skinning sh llets, meansfor grasping a iish llet and moving it in a predetermined path with theskin adjacent one side ofthe path, a skinning knife normally remote fromthe path, and means lto bring said skinning knife into said path whenthe iillet is grasped to sever the skin therefrom.

3. In a machine for skinning fish fillets or the like, means forgrasping the fillet and drawing the iillet in a predetermined path, askinning knife or the like relatively remotely positioned from saidpath, and means actuated by said grasping means to move the knife intothe fillet to a point adjacent the skin to separate the skin from thellet while the latter is moved in said path.

I 4. In a machine for skinning sh fillets, means to convey a fillet in apredetermined path, and means in said path for grasping a fillet Whilemoving in said path, said last named means being operatively connectedto a remotely positioned knife and being displaceable by contact withsaid fillet to move said knife into skinning position.

5. A machine for skinning sh fillets includ- A 'knife that is Suitablefor scraping the.SkinRkconnecting the knife and said clutch member and othe esh is not well adapted to cut straight through the esh to the skin.Such' a knife can, however', make the initial cut through the skinsuccessfully if it is reciprocated sideways during the time that it iscutting through the flesh, so that it makes a drawing-eut. Provision ismade for such reciprocation, and in fact the shaft 20 carries acylindrical cam 23, in the cam groove of which there runs a roller 24carried by one arm of a double-armed lever 25 pivoted at 26. The otherarm of the lever is forked and carries two pins 21 which engage in agroove in a block 21 on the knife shaft I5, so that this is reciprocatedas shown by the arrow P5 in Figure 3.

The upper surface of the knife I6 is grooved as shown at 34 in Figure 3,the grooves preventing the skinned llet from sticking to the surfacectuated by contact of the fillet with` the clutch member to bring theknife into engagement with the fillet.

6. In a device of the class described, a pair of rollers adapted toengage -the skin of a fish therebetween, a knife remotely positioned,and means veying illlets and the like, a delivery roller, a supmeansactuated by' the movement of saidesecond named roller for bringing theSkinning knife into fillet skinning position.

8. In a machine for skinning ilshl fillets. roller 5 means for feeding afillet in a predetermined path,

roller, and between said rollers, and means actuy ated by said secondnamed 'roller for moving a. filleting knife into illieting position.

15 9. machine according to claim 7, wherein the two rollers are rotatedat substantially the saine peripheral speed.

10. A machine according to claim '1, in which the second named roller lsgrooved.

j', irrnsdeviortnecmss described for conport roller adjacent thedelivery roller and adapted to receive illlets supplied thereby, and asupplementary roller arranged in the angle between the support rollerand the delivery roller, whereby 5 t0 direct the illlets delivered tosaid support roller. 12. In the process of Skinning ilsh fillets,y thesteps of grasping the skin, moving theiillet in a predetermined path,moving a remotely posi tioned Skinning knife into engagement with the l0illlet to sever theskin therefrom, and reciprocating the knife laterallyduring engagement with the fillet.

13. In a machine for skinning fish fillets, means for grasping the skinand moving the fillet in a 15 predetermined path, and means for moving aremotely positioned knife into engagement with the

